You won't see the likes of these anymore
Yesterday came word that the original Zune is being phased out in favor of the touch-screen Zune HD debuting September 15th. I remain one of the few people who, despite my dripping disdain for the product, its ecosystem and the horse it rode in on, think that the name Zune is pretty cool. I will also say this without a bit of exaggeration: since it launched in November 2006, I have met only one solitary soul who actually owns a Zune. (You know who you are, you live in Austin — confess!) Further, I have no conscious memory of ever seeing anyone actually using a Zune. Not exactly scientific research, but you’d think I would have spotted at least one in the wild by now. Reportedly, Zune has managed to win 10% of the market, so this probably says more about the company I keep than Zune’s adoption rate. I’m just sayin’.
But all this sweet sentiment is making me think back to my favorite “Zune moment”: when most of the world’s Zunes stopped working at the last second of 2008. A little Y2K moment all its own. (Pretty surprising that any technology company would ever fall victim to that one again.) Whatever. Good luck, Zune, with the new lineup. Methinks you still have a bit of a struggle ahead.
